Encouraging, Empowering and Enriching Your Journey
Planning For Death:
The Unpleasant Part of Preparedness
The Wonder of the Wonder Box
A DIY: Wonder Box Pattern!
Getting Bugs to stop bugging you!
Food Storage Recipe Contest
Preserving Proteins Meat, Eggs, and Beans May 2015
Letter from the Managing Editor Spring can be one of the busiest 2mes of year if you’re trying to be prepared. Spring Cleaning and Spring Gardening are two top priori2es this 2me of year. Spring may be one of the seasons to check ba=eries in the fire alarms or flip your ma=ress. S2ll, ‘regular life’ con2nues while preparedness efforts move forward. It’s no doubt that as the weather warms, most people are outside more. Perhaps you’re working in the garden, doing more outside chores or simply taking a hike. O<en it seems that the pests have just snuck up on you and you’re being pestered. Trying to manage harmful insects without harming your plants, animals or yourself with harsh chemicals can be done. Ge#ng Bugs to stop bugging
you can take some crea2ve planning. But if they don’t leave you alone and you or a loved one gets stung or bi=en, it is important to know First Aid for Bug Bites and S7ngs ahead of 2me. Maybe you’ve wondered just How to Begin a Food Storage Rou7ne and this is the Season you’ve decided to jump in. Many people have the desire to learn more Do It Yourself skills for their food storage. Preserving Proteins: Meat, Eggs, and Beans is certainly one way to be more self-‐sufficient and do it yourself. Now that you’ve read how to start storing food and preserving proteins yourself, let’s get cooking! If you’ve not heard of it before, you’ll love the passive ingenuity and the The Wonder of the Wonder Box plus there’s a DIY: Wonder Box PaHern Included to make your own! And we are pleased to announce Amy Barker as the winner of our Food Storage Recipe Contest. Be sure to try out her winning Recipe: Vegetarian Chili. Look for more contests coming soon! Preparedness is not about just lengthy ‘to do’, ‘to make’ or ‘to buy’ lists. There is something deeper that is more mental, emo2onal, psychological and Spiritual to the journey. Prac2cing and Planning can have you prepared at any moment if you are mentally ready. Knowledge and Experience Equals Portable Preparedness. And one topic that we all will face one day is like addressing the elephant in the room, but is necessary. “Planning For Death: The Unpleasant Part of Preparedness” is a hearVelt account of one of our favorite authors who shares some of the lessons she learned through a very trying event. Also, you know we are a no-‐zombie zone here at PREPARE Magazine. So you may be surprised to see the Pastor's Perspec7ve: Zombies are Real! Well, not all zombies are what you might expect. We hope you’ll see to correla2on as you read. When you do, you can help others wake up to Real Life and be Prepared! Thank you for being a part of our PREPARE Family!
Table of Contents PREPARE Magazine www.preparemag.com Publishing Mainline Marketing Group, LLC Advertising 828-484-4777 advertising@preparemag.com Subscriptions www.preparemag.com/subscribe subscription@preparemag.com Support Services www.preparemag.com/support support@preparemag.com Community Connections contributors@preparemag.com Chief Vision Officer Joseph Miller Managing Editor Donna Miller
➡ Letter from the Editor ➡How to begin a food storage routine ➡First Aid for Bug Bites and Stings ➡ Knowledge & Experience Equals Portable Preparedness ➡ Preserving Proteins - Meat, Eggs, and Beans ➡ Getting Bugs to stop bugging you! ➡ Planning for Death ➡ The Wonder of the Wonder Box ➡ Foot Storage Recipe Contest Winner ➡ Pastor's Perspective - Zombies are Real
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How to begin a food storage routine By Tammy Trayer, Trayer Wilderness
Are you currently prepared for a three day power outage? Do you have any raw ingredients available to make something if you were to run out of packaged foods? My food storage is something that is very important to me. I grew up with full cupboards, all or most of the shelves full in our cold cellar, and a freezer full of meat and the summer harvest all stored nicely in freezer containers on the shelves. I am very grateful that my Mother instilled this in me as something normal and I hope to share my knowledge to allow you to do the same, or at least be better prepared for emergencies of any kind. First, if you are currently only consuming packaged foods you will want to learn how to make and bake things from scratch. Knowing how to make such foods will certainly save you in a survival situation. Learning how to do this now will save you a learning curve in a potential survival situation.
Second, you will want to start stocking up on raw ingredients such as dried beans, rice, flour, sugar, pasta, etc. We stock up on all the raw ingredients we need to make everything we like and would normally eat. The best place to start is figuring out what your favorite family meals and snacks are and writing down what ingredients you need to make them. There is no sense stocking up on items that you will not use. Then take $5.00, $10.00 or whatever your budget allows a week and stock up on the things you will need and be sure to look for sales and shop accordingly. We place all our food items in food grade buckets and label them. If you are in an apartment and do not have a lot of space you may need to be creative when it comes to storing your raw ingredients and use corners in your closet, under beds, etc. as additional storage areas. I would suggest putting your food in boxes or something to keep pests and mice out of your food if you are stashing them in smaller areas. Using mylar bags is also an option.
I keep track of the quantity of food we have on hand and when my stock is getting low on anything I will restock on those items. It is also good to date the items that you are purchasing and use the oldest first and keep circulating your food.
I have created a Bulk Food Inventory Sheet which will include a Canning Shelf Inventory as well as a Meat Inventory. Â This sheet is available on our website for free. I use this sheet to keep track of everything we have and need.Â
Not only do we keep our shelves full, we also have chickens for both meat and eggs, meat rabbits and dairy goats which also supplement our food. We can all the fresh vegetables and fruits that we can get our hands on each summer and we can a good portion of the meats that we harvest as well.
I purchase dried beans for storage, but I also purchase them to cook and can them for on my canning shelves to make it easier to utilize them for a quick meal. I also do a lot of dehydrating of fruits and vegetables to which I also store in canning jars for ease of use.
Because we make everything from scratch on our homestead this is really easy for me to handle, but for those of you that shop daily or weekly for your dietary needs it may take a little time to learn this. My intention was to make this task a little easier for you and offer you some guidance.
We also can our meats, broths, and soups, again for ease of use and to make quick meals simple. Keeping well stocked and keeping track of what you have on hand is important and this will help you gauge whether you have enough on hand for a 3 day power outage or a 3 month survival situation.
First aid for bug bites and stings By Bill & Janet Liebsch, Fedhealth Warmer temperatures mean people will be venturing outside more to play, garden, or just relax in the sun, but it also means more bugs will be active too. While there are many types of insects across the U.S., the most common ones that could potentially cause medical issues include bees, wasps (including hornets and yellow jackets), and ants. Mosquitos can also cause medical issues like West Nile Virus (WNV), dengue fever, malaria and other diseases; however we are only covering some basic first aid tips for common insect stings and bites and WNV in this article. According to WebMD, approximately 50 deaths each year in the U.S. are attributed to insect sting allergies. And about 2 million Americans have allergies to the venom of stinging insects, many of whom may be at risk for life-threatening allergic reactions. Although a majority of people are not allergic to insect bites or stings, they will experience mild or moderate symptoms if bitten or stung by a venomous insect.
What to do… ❖
Move calmly, quickly and quietly away from area if there’s a swarm or nest nearby.
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Remove stinger by scraping it away with credit card, long fingernail or using tweezers. Don’t try to squeeze it out since this causes more venom to get in the victim.
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If stung on the hand, remove any rings as quickly as possible.
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Wash wound with soap and water or rinse with hydrogen peroxide.
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Cover with a bandage or clean cloth and apply ice pack.
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Watch for allergic reactions for a few days and call Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 with questions about reactions.
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Call Fire Department or bee removal expert if needed.
About West Nile Virus West Nile virus (WNV) is primarily spread by mosquitoes that feed on infected birds. But realize, out of 700+ species of mosquitoes in the U.S. (and 74 species in Canada), less than 1% - become infected with WNV.
Things to watch for when bit or stung by a bee, wasp or ant…
The virus usually causes fever, aches and general discomfort. Severe cases can cause inflammation of the lining of the brain or spinal cord (meningitis), inflammation of the brain itself (encephalitis) or a poliolike syndrome that can result in loss of function of one or more limbs (WN poliomyelitis or acute flaccid paralysis). These conditions can be life-altering or fatal. People of all ages could develop serious health effects, but seniors and folks with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk.
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Stinger (Note: honeybees leave a stinger and venom sac)
Things to watch for if bit by a mosquito…
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Puncture or bite mark
"(Most WNV symptoms appear 2 to 15 days after being bitten)
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Burning pain or Swelling
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Allergic Reaction - Pain, itching, hives, redness or discoloration at site, trouble breathing, signs of shock (pale, cold, drowsy, etc.)
"Mild flu-like symptoms - fever, headache, feeling sick to stomach (nausea) and/or body aches !Mild skin rash and swollen lymph glands
!Severe symptoms - severe headache, high fever, neck stiffness, confusion, shakes, coma, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, paralysis, meningitis or encephalitis
What to do… ❖
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There is no “cure” for West Nile Virus other than the body fighting off the virus naturally - mainly just watch symptoms. Consider boosting immune system to help fight virus (like taking astragalus, Vitamin C, garlic, mushrooms, zinc, good multiple vitamin + mineral supplement, etc. - but check with doctor if taking prescription medications).
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Get rid of “standing water” sources around yard and home since they are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
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The CDC says Vitamin B and “ultrasonic” devices are NOT effective in preventing mosquito bites!
Some options to relieve pain from an insect bite or sting Activated charcoal - Make a paste using 2-3 capsules and a small amount of warm water. Dab paste on sting site and cover with gauze or plastic to keep it moist. This will help draw out venom so it collects on your skin. Note, powder makes a black mess but easily wiped off with a towel.
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If mild symptoms appear, keep watching person for a few weeks in case symptoms get worse.
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If severe symptoms appear, get medical attention quickly since it could become deadly.
Baking Soda - Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda + 1 part warm water and apply to the sting site for 15-20 minutes.
As mentioned above, mosquitoes can transmit WNV and other viruses like dengue, chikungunya and other diseases, but there are some steps you can take to prevent bites.
Clay mudpack - If in the wilderness, put a mudpack over injury and cover with bandage or cloth. The mudpack must be a mix of clay-containing soil since clay is the key element but don’t use if any skin is cracked or broken.
Things to do to avoid mosquito bites …
Meat tenderizer - Mixing meat tenderizer (check ingredient list for “papain”) with warm water and applying to the sting will help break down insect venom. (Papain is a natural enzyme derived from papaya.)
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Stay indoors at dawn, dusk, and early evenings when mosquitoes are most active, but realize they bite anytime.
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Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.
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Spray clothing and exposed skin with repellent containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) -the higher % of DEET, the longer you’re protected from bites (6.65% lasts almost 2 hours; 20% lasts about 4 hours, etc.) Two other repellents are picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
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Don’t put repellent on small children’s hands since it may irritate their mouths or eyes.
Urine (Pee) - Another remedy useful in the wilderness sounds totally gross (but has a history of medical applications in a number of cultures) is urine (pee) which reduces the stinging pain. (Unless you have a urinary tract infection, the pee will be sterile and at the least won’t do any harm!)
LINKS Some potential pain-relieving inflammatory remedies
and
anti-
Fresh aloe - break open a leaf or use 96-100% pure aloe gel Lemon juice - from a fresh lemon Vitamin E - oil from a bottle or break open a few gel capsules Store brands - if over-the-counter methods preferred, use calamine cream or lotion and aspirin or acetaminophen For more information about vector-borne diseases visit www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/ and, if you are a PREPARE Magazine Premium member, check out our article called “Ticks Suck” in the January 2013 digital issue archives.
Knowledge and Experience = Portable Preparedness By: Ken Youngquist - Survivaltek
The marketplace is full of products that accommodate the increasing interest in preparedness and survival. They span the qualities of the very basic to the deluxe and are tangible to a wide range of budgets. But products alone do not provide the solutions for emergency situations; they are only a part of the equation. The most important survival tool that you can possess is the one between your ears. It is the knowledge and experience that you have gained by study and practice, not forgetting the most important survival tool, the WILL to survive. These are tools of a different sort that are not material but ones that you carry with you at all
times. They do not wear out or break, and of course, are weightless to carry! I'm not saying that you do not need physical tools or other provisions, but in the absence of these, you can learn to recognize the resources that surround you and apply them to your emergency situation. Depending on the resources at hand you can make tools, shelter, and fire that can protect you from the environment and help you to acquire safe drinking water and food. Of course having provisions ahead of time is a great asset, but they may not be with you when expectantly stranded or if a catastrophe separates you from them.
By all means acquire the tools and provisions that would benefit you in the best scenario but look beyond that to more basic skills and knowledge. I always encourage folks to learn some basic primitive skills because they are easily transferable to more modern materials yet fundamental to survival. Learn how to build a fire using different methods. Recognize the materials for cover and insulation. Learn to cook without utensils. Exercise now to build strength and stamina. There is much that you can do that can empower you to be prepared without the dependence on provisions.
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Preserving Proteins: Meat, Eggs, and Beans LeAnn Edmondson, Homestead Dreamer
Protein is a building block that is vital to maintaining and repairing your muscles, bones, cartilage, skin, and blood. When it comes to facing a disaster, having enough protein takes on a whole new level of importance. Chances are very good that you will be doing more physical labor than before which will only increase the need for good, healthy proteins. Chances are also good that you may run out of reliable sources until you can harvest a garden or go hunting but even after that, you will need the skills to ensure your protein sources are preserved until you can grow, hunt, and fish for more. Thankfully, it is very easy to learn how to ensure your meat, eggs, nuts and beans will last you until the stores re-open or the next growing season comes around.
Preserving Meat
There are several options when it comes to preserving meat and all of them are relatively easy, they just take time. Instead of paying some big food company to do all the preserving for you with their chemicals and machines, you can take the bit of time to do it yourself and end up with a far superior product! Three ways to preserve meat is to pressure can, dehydrate or smoke, and pickling. There are more, but we will touch on these three for the sake of simplicity.
Pressure Canning - Pressure canning is a tried and true method to ensure your food will be preserved for about a year. The food is fine beyond that, but the proteins really begin to break down and the overall quality of the food declines. The major bonus with pressure canning is the food is already cooked. It is safe to eat hot or cold and is resealable to boot! You can add onions, garlic, or even some soaked beans to the jar for added variety. Dehydrate or Smoked - This method of food preservation is as old as our hunter/gatherer ancestors. By allowing the meat to be washed in hot smoke, you are removing the moisture from it and adding flavor as well. You can also dehydrate meat on warm rocks, near heat, or even in the sun and wind to preserve the meat. Keep in mind that meat must reach a base temperature and maintained there long enough to kill any bacteria that may be present. As the moisture is removed, so is the environment that bacteria needs for growth. Salt is also well known to have preservation qualities and helps restore lost salts when sweating. Pickling - Pickling is also an extremely old way of preserving food. There LINKS are two main methods. Most are familiar with vinegar pickling which is food soaked in a high acid liquid that impedes bacterial growth. The other way is by using a salt brine to create an environment for fermentation which encourages the growth of ‘good’ bacteria, leaving less chance of ‘bad’ bacteria to grow. Whichever way you choose, pickling is extremely easy and you can learn how in a single afternoon! Once you have done a batch or two, you realize how many options are available to try, not to mention look like a culinary rock star at the next office potluck.
Preserving Eggs Eggs pack a serious punch of protein in a small amount of food! A hard-boiled egg has roughly 6 grams of protein with adult men needing 56 grams per day and
women 46 grams, according to a quick Google search. That means two hard boiled eggs will give an adult male 21% of his daily protein in just a few bites! Thankfully, there are several ways to preserve eggs to make them last longer such as getting farm fresh eggs, using mineral oil to coat store bought eggs, pickling, and dehydrating.
absorbed into the shell. It is because of this bloom that farm fresh eggs do not need to be refrigerated for months! Mineral Oil and Commercial Eggs - There are many accounts of people using slightly warmed mineral oil as a way to replicate the bloom mentioned above. Commercial eggs have had it washed off during processing. If you think about it, leaving it on there would slow egg sales down considerably! PreparednessPro suggests you can leave them unrefrigerated for months but it is up to you whether or not you wish to go this route. Pickling - Ever hear of the Thousand Year Old Egg? You may have seen hugeLINKS jars of pickled eggs on counter tops in a bar or pub or old diner. Pickling eggs is pretty straight forward. Simply boil and shell the egg, then drop it into a vinegar or salt brine and let it sit for a week or longer. You can add garlic or dill or numerous other flavors for variety, too.
Farm Fresh Eggs - Those who raise chickens and the people who buy their eggs know there is an advantage other than taste when it comes to farm fresh eggs. They have an added bonus of lasting a lot longer than store bought eggs do because they have the ‘bloom’ still intact. You cannot see it or feel it but there is a naturally protective coating that inhibits bacteria from being
Dehydrating - I mention this with a grain of salt, so to speak. While I have seen the process for dehydrating eggs using a modern day dehydrator, I am not sure how safe it would really be. Since we are discussing preserving proteins for longer term, it would seem to me that you wouldn’t really have the ability to use one. Honestly, eggs don’t really last long even when food is abundant. In a disaster situation when more protein than
usual is needed, it is unlikely it will need to last a really long time anyway. For my family, when we are able to finally get chickens, we will likely have an egg skelter on the counter. An egg skelter is typically a metal wire spiral that holds eggs. You put the fresh ones in the top and take from the bottom to rotate them.
Nuts, on the other hand are a little trickier. Almonds, walnuts, and cashews all have a lot of natural oils in them. When those are exposed to say, air and heat, they will start to grow bacteria and turn rancid. Roasting and salting them weren’t done just because it tastes good! Keeping them dry and cool will increase the shelf life considerably. Always trust your instinct; if it smells or tastes funny, don’t risk it!
Nuts and Beans
Additional Ideas
When it comes to preserving anything, you are really battling 4 things: moisture, air (that brings moisture), bacteria (that need moisture to grow in), heat (bacteria loves heat!), and oxygen. Beans such as pinto, kidney, and black eyed peas can be thoroughly dried and stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry and dark place for months, even years. You can also pressure can beans so that all you have to do is pop open a can, heat and eat!
To help make your protein source give all it can, consider things such as sprouting the barley or beans you have. All it takes is a little water, some burlap or other cloth with good ventilation (you could use hay if needed!) and some sunshine. Suddenly that handful of beans you had is now 2-3 handfuls with fresh vitamins and good proteins just waiting to be enjoyed. It can be a real treat to have something ‘fresh’ in the cold of February!
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The Off-Road Girl’s Guide to: Getting Bugs to stop bugging you! By Desere, Turtle Island Preserve I’ve kept tropical houseplants for years, long before taking a stab at growing food outdoors. There’ve been varying degrees of success and failure and along with that comes the issue of dealing with associated pests. I’ve had spider mites and white flies whose slow stillness eventually decimates whole plants, and an ongoing battle with scale which at the moment I seem to be on the winning side of. Naturally these frequent indoor pests can also ‘go bananas’ on our outdoor gardening operations as well as in your greenhouse. I therefore offer the following testimonial, just in case you too have found yourself casually exploring the “poison aisle” at the feed store or worse yet, looking over your shoulder as you reach for a bottle of ‘bug-be-gone’ in the garden center at Walmart. I’m still too emotionally scarred to describe my failure against the allied efforts of ants and slugs in my garden’s kohlrabi fiasco of 2014, but I can confidently tell you that the scale creatures that occupied my lemon tree for the past few years have suffered a great genocide; and triumph can be in your future too. It started a few years ago when I sat my little lemon tree outside for the summer, right next to some wild foliage (mostly azalea.) When fall came and it was time to bring the beloved citrus indoors again, I noticed a healthy colony of scale insect infestation. I will confess – after trying the “natural method” of squirting the whole
plant with soapy water and a lot of! leaf loss, I went straight to the insecticide treatment. Shameful, I know. But after the poison application the scale would die off and the tree would slowly recover. A few good moths would roll by but eventually the scale would show up again and the battle would wage on. It wasn’t until I noticed the scheduled presence of ants that I discovered who I was really dealing with. You see, the ants are in cahoots with the scale! Sure, the ants aren’t harming the plants per se, but they are in fact farming the scale and the scale is what’s zapping the plant of its chi. Once I realized this intimate dalliance between the ants and the scale insects, I chose the ants as my first target. As mentioned earlier, I was still really sour with ants in general on account of their ravenous damage to last year’s food garden, so with diatomaceous earth in hand, I came at them with a vengeance. I wet down the whole plant with warm water and covered it generously with the white powdered diatomaceous earth. This stuff is great! It’s safe for kids and pets (as long as you don’t inhale its fine dust) and its application is a death sentence to anything with an exoskeleton. (So be sure to keep it away from your pet scorpions and tarantulas.) After phase 1 of killing and deterring the ants with the diatomaceous earth, which could’ve also been accomplished with boric acid, I took to the scale with q-tips soaked in rubbing alcohol. Each little
scale insect that I touched the alcohol to came loose onto the q-tip. It only took two rounds of the powder to kill the ants and about 30 minutes total of applying the alcohol to the scale to get a happy little tree once again. And one last note on ants, these determined and industrious little creatures will also stake claim on your hummingbird feeder. Rather than going out to purchase the ant traps sold at most bird stores, you can easily make your own with the same great results. Here’s how:
and screw an eyelet into the hole. As you install the eyelet, squirt a generous dollop of silicone glue (certainly caulk would work too). This is just to make a waterproof seal so the eyelet hole won’t leak out any water. At the top of the bottle, make two small holes and weave an old wire hanger into those holes to suspend this cup above your feeder. Be sure to make the hanger dip into where the water will be sitting. Once it’s dry, and installed, fill your little plastic cup with water, and hang your hummingbird feeder as planned. The ants will try, usually giving up after a 48 hour period to get to the feeder but cannot cross the water in your little cup. This is a quick do-it-yourself way to establish ownership of your feeder and one more way you can triumph over the six legged army. The plant pest removal technique described above might seem tedious or insurmountable if you’re dealing with a large scale planting operation, but perhaps a few of these tips might encourage you to at least try to tackle a few of the insects that are bugging you. Happy Planting!
Take any old 12 ounce plastic bottle, cut in half so it’s a topless cup. Poke a small hole in the center of the bottom
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